Fresh in the Financial District

I had a lovely opportunity to have lunch with a former colleague, Lloyd, in San Francisco recently. He had thoughtfully surveyed the area and found a place he thought I hadn't tried, Georges. What a delight! As we met another colleague in the hall before walking to Georges, he approved and told us not to miss the grilled halibut sandwich.

We ordered a couple appetizers, first the grilled asparagus. It was dressed in a Dijon vinaigrette and topped with shaved Parmesan. I was impressed with the intense asparagus flavor and true sense of it coming directly from a grill. It was a great starter.

Next up was the sauteed calamari which I didn't try, and Lloyd said was good.

Lloyd went for the recommended halibut sandwich. It was just as billed. I had a hard time resisting having the same, but I was really attracted by a different sandwich. It was accompanied by some handsome fries.

I had the Dungeness crab roll (I've become very partial to these on anyone's menu these days). The crab roll has dandelion greens and roasted peppers on a brioche roll with a little dish or fresh tomatoes and onions and house made potato chips. I was impressed by how well the roasted red peppers and dandelion greens set off the fresh crab. I would definitely order this again.

Seafood in North Beach

I met my friend Lori for an Italian seafood dinner one evening in December at Sotto Mare in San Francisco's North Beach. It was one of those cold, inky-black nights. The interior was warm, cozy, and well-loved.

We started with the clam chowder, which being hot and creamy was especially satisfying coming in from the cold.

I continued the clam theme with Linguine with Clams. It was perfect. The linguine was perfectly al dente, and the clam sauce was classically good.

Lori chose Prawn Saute which she enjoyed, including the fresh steamed vegetables which were a colorful and delicious accompaniment. I would certainly revisit this restaurant again for it's solidly good food and friendly ambiance.

Another day in Monterey

One fine day I was at the Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey at dinner time, and decided to try Crabby Jim's. In front of most restaurants on the Wharf there are staff encouraging passersby to sample their clam chowder.

And I had a beautiful view out of the window by my table.

I tried the Fish & Chips. They came a bit on the cool side, but were generally good. The waiter redeemed the visit by being so cheerful and trying so hard to please. They were unable to serve ice tea because not only had they run out, the brewer was broken and not fixable within a normal dining time frame. I've had better experiences on the Wharf.

Tasty Traditions

One day it was just time for the Pacific Cafe in Kentfield. At first I thought that it may be closed because the front sign I remember was gone. I found out later that a car had crashed into the front of the building some months ago, and the new sign was on order. However, there is a stained glass sign in the window which identifies the location.

I started with a cup of Pacific Chowder. The waiter said it is basically a clam chowder without the cream. It was quite tasty without.

For the main course, I had the Almond Crusted Halibut. Oh my but it was good! The potatoes were a little 'whipped' and shiny, however the overall plate was great.

I indulged in a dessert, the Lemon Meringue Pie. I was especially tempted when I heard that it was one of the waitstaff's own recipes that had been a favorite for years. The proprietors were very friendly, and the whole staff seemed to have settled into a good service and guest-thoughtful routine. I loved that my server left me a quaint index card with artistic handwriting about the specials. This is a time tested solid seafood place.

Restaurant Inspection Results

This location has not been inspected yet.

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Another fine catch

We had a little celebratory dinner with Glen and Jessica at Pacific Catch the other evening. Celebrating wellness after that bout with H1N1. Glen was instrumental in keeping things going during that period at the house and we wanted to thank him.

The usual table treats were brought over after we were seated.

Jessica chose an appetizer for her main, Seared Ahi Macadamia. The ahi was sprinkled with toasted macadamia nuts, and it was accompanied by a mango salad with Thai style citrus sauce. She said it was great!

I had the Tokyo Salmon, which was basically salmon fish & chips, which were hot and tasty. The fish was really meaty and solid. I opted for regular fries instead of the sweet potato fries.

Glen thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ Unagi (Japanese Eel) Wasabi Bowl. Along with the eel, a generously sized bowl of sushi rice was topped with wakame salad, avocado, daikon sprouts, cucumber, ginger, sesame seeds, shredded nori and soy-wasabi sauce.

Dad enjoyed his regular Fish & Chips with Sweet Potato Fries, cleaning up his whole plate and asking for dessert!

So I had the Mochi Fondue, with several flavors of mochi ice cream cut up and ready to dip in a fudgy chocolate sauce.

Jessica enjoyed a dainty single Mochi Ball, coffee flavored.

Dad went for broke with this special Dulce de Leche with ice cream special. I tried a bite, and it was special!

I'm not sure but that Glen chose the best, the Passion Mango Cheesecake. He said it was great, and it looked very densely delicious. The service was good, the food as well and we were happy.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0

Noncritical: 0

Last inspected: 5/22/2009

Previously reviewed:
April 24, 2008
February 18, 2008
January 25, 2007

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Ah! The simple pleasures

Simple is good. Elegant in fact. Being in Sausalito at work, it was a natural thing to mosey over to Fish the other day for lunch. I was taken with The Crab Roll. It was described as "A West coast rendition of the East coast favorite. Sweet Dungeness crab served atop a toasted Acme torpedo roll with organic Straus butter and chives. Served with shoestring fries or greens on the side."

And here it is. You don't have to do much to sweet, fresh Dungeness crab to make it a show stopper. This was the best!

I enjoyed walking along Clipper Yacht Harbor where Fish is located and taking a couple of shots in this early summer perfect weather.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 1

Noncritical: 1

Last inspected: 5/26/2009

Previously reviewed:

September 23, 2008
May 25, 2008
August 14, 2007
February 10, 2007

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If you don't think about it...

My friend Karen suggested we catch up over dinner at a uniquely named restaurant in Crockett, CA - "The Dead Fish". The restaurant's site explains:

"Chef Andrea Froncillo's beloved Nonna cooked for a big family and didn't have time to track all of the different recipes she prepared, so when her grandson asked what kind of fish she cooked, she replied, "It's a dead fish!""

The restaurant is located just off the last exit before crossing the Carquinez Bridge heading towards Sacramento on I-80. It's quite easy to get to, and has lots of parking.

So quick as to be nearly simultaneous with your sitting down, some fresh and delicious French Bread is served.

Karen and I had a lot to catch up on, and it was yet early (5 p.m) so we decided to enjoy before dinner drinks - me a lemon drop, and Karen an appletini. These were mixed nicely and well chilled.

We enjoyed watching the bridge scene as the light slowly faded out, and our drinks slowly drained.

We also enjoyed an appetizer, the Fried Castroville Artichokes, as we sipped.

We ate "Lotsa" Nona's World Famous Killer Crab roasted in a secret garlic sauce. Oh this was SO good we wanted Lotsa more, but restrained ourselves.

We finished the savory menu with a cup of Crab Chowder. It was good, but perhaps a tad salty.

As we continued talking, we decided to share a Fresh Fruit Compote, with the whipped cream on the side. It was a very generous serving of various well-mixed fruits, a the peak of their ripeness. It was a good finish to a rather rich meal. Karen heard that this is a great "2nd Date" place, and I'd have to agree. The good service, great food, and nice ambiance would be a great thing to share.

The real name

The name of this place was a bit hard to figure out as it describes the food as well as the restaurant, and there are competing signs. What I first thought was "Lappert's Ice Cream", is actually called "Fish & Chips". And it is conveniently located on Bridgeway in Sausalito.

The interior is quite welcoming, as is the staff. This food is about as fast as it gets in Sausalito proper.

I decided to be adventurous and order the "Fish & Crab". The cole slaw was cool and slightly sweet, while the Icelandic cod was hot, and the crab was in hard crusted, hot balls. The crab balls tasted good if you could get a bite without burning or scraping the roof of your mouth! The french fries were also hot and tasty.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 12/16/2008

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Previously reviewed:
January 11, 2007

Bargain Buffet

Not so far from the Vintage Oaks Mall in Novato, in fact just across the freeway and up Redwood Dr. a bit, is FuZhou Super Buffet. Yes, this is a dive place, don't expect fancy surroundings. You can expect a huge selection of mostly good food. I would say all the food is good, however with so much food there are some items that have been sitting on the table longer than others and so there is a dryness to the top. I noticed that these are rotated out in turn, so the less fresh ones get renewed before long. And yes, there are some items that are more carby or filler type items. And there are seven islands chock full of food choices!

So how I 'work' this buffet is find a few luscious things, and stick to those. I started with a small bowl of tasty egg flower soup. Then I assembled my main plate. There is one island with Chinese staples. I started there and took some green sauteed spinach (a sliver is seen in the far lower lower left of the photo), a nice mound of very fresh singapore noodles (seen as a sliver in the far upper left of the photo), and a few princess prawns (in the far lower right of the photo).

Then I headed to the seafood island for crab. There were two types, as you can see in the left part of the photo - steamed and roasted with garlic and seasoning. I took some of both, but the steamed crab was actually easier to crack and eat. It was fresh and sweet! And I kept going back for more crab, after all, it was all you can eat... I finished with some deliciously cool and sweet fresh honeydew melon slices. The basic plate, plus all that crab was a dinner hard to match anywhere else for $11.95. There was a coupon in the IJ recently - I just decided to go on the fly so didn't bring it with me so we missed out on even a better deal. Dad enjoyed it too, although the variety actually was a little overwhelming. I got him started with a variety plate, and he winged it just fine the second go round. There is only a fork as a utensil, so it is a little challenging to eat the crab, so Dad, being 88 and not so dexterous any more passed on the crab except for some pieces I shelled for him.

Avoid the bathrooms, and the sushi.

If you don't mind the casualness, this is a great place to ferret out some good quality and delicious things for dinner (or lunch, but no crab at lunch). Choose well and you shall be rewarded!

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 12/26/2008

I love Dungeness Crab!

And guess what's happening at Yankee Pier in Larkspur (and other locations) until the end of the month? The 20th Annual Dungeness Crab Festival is on, featuring local, sustainable Dungeness Crab in various fresh ways every day.

I treated myself to a Dungeness Crab Louie. It was made with very tender yet crisp butter lettuce, chopped egg, silky smooth ripe avocado and deliciously fresh crab meat. It was great! The waiter was most helpful and attentive as well.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 8/6/2008

Previously reviewed:
January 8, 2007

In search of terroir

It was that beautiful 70F weather Sunday after a very cold streak of weather that the journey started. At the time, I didn't think I was starting a journey. I just got out of bed and saw the glorious day, and knew that I wanted to find my bit of Marin terroir! I had thought of writing again about one of Marin's great cheeses, but decided to stretch for something different and knew our oysters were second to none. That meant I could take a trip out to West Marin, were the seabed nurses these beauties.

And this is my post for the 3rd annual "A Taste of Terroir" where bloggers everywhere are invited to post about a special food that arises from and is made unique by their piece of the earth. The summaries of these with links will be at this site on January 31st, so please come back to sample and enjoy a culinary adventure!

There are three major oyster growers in Marin, Drake's Bay Oyster Company, Tomales Bay Oyster Company, and Hog Island Oyster Company. I had heard that Tomales Bay Oyster Company had a way to enjoy them on site, so they were my pick. I thought to call ahead and ask about the oysters and what the story on on-site visiting was. A very friendly man picked up the phone and explained that they weren't a restaurant, but there was a picnic area on the grounds, and they sold the oysters, oyster knife, gloves, and even jars of sauces and barbecue briquettes. He assured me that it wouldn't take long to get the hang of shucking the oysters and invited me over to the clear blue skies and matching 70F temperature (West Marin can be colder sometimes being on the coast of the Pacific Ocean).

It took no more prompting! In the back of the Prius I threw barbecue briquettes, tablecloth, and other tasty things from the fridge and cupboard to round out a picnic featuring fresh oysters! I made sure my father had layers and a blanket, and out the door we went. I started calling friends along the way to invite them to the picnic adventure. After a few stops, after all, it was a leisurely Sunday, we arrived at Tomales Bay Oyster Company.

It actually turned out to be lucky that friends weren't able to join for various reasons. Other people obviously woke up with the same idea! There was absolutely no room for us. Dad took one look at the crowd and said it was too much for him.

I left him in the car for a few minutes and took a walk around, to get a feel for the place, and to devise an alternate plan. It was a scenic place.

And I just loved these little boys having a conversation on the shoreline.

Despite the lack of tablespace, people were still lining up to buy oysters! And the parking lot was jammed, there were also cars lining the highway near the entrance.

So I proceeded on the alternate plan, driving up the road to a restaurant serving the local specialty, barbecued oysters. And those who read my lead up post last week know that the bottom line for that part of the adventure was that although delicious, the barbecued oysters at Tony's Seafood Restaurant, about three miles north of here, were not local, but from Washington State's Puget Sound. The story was that there aren't enough local oysters to supply the demand at the restaurant!

Leaving Tony's Seafood Restaurant, I did make a 'back-up' stop at a well known local cheese producer in case I couldn't find any local oysters! I'll be posting about that another day.

So home we went, and what I had assumed would be an easy piece on the delicious local oysters took me on another, more mental journey. I had to come to grips with what the concepts of 'local' and 'native' really were and how 'terroir' related to these.

UC Davis, Department of Animal Science has put together a very interesting piece on California Oyster Culture. It is worth reading in its entirety. (Passages in double quotes are from this document). I came to the conclusion that although these oysters I've been searching for are 'local', they are not native! Even people in the 1850's loved oysters and as a result, "Natural occurring populations of the only native oyster, Ostrea conchaphila (Ostrea lurida), declined rapidly because of intensive fishing." Populations of native oysters are still rather low, and the Ostrea conchaphila is a protected species in California.

So what are we eating? Pacific oysters of several varieties. "Currently, over 98 percent of the oysters grown in California are Pacific oysters produced from hatcheries in Washington and Oregon and from several smaller specialty hatcheries located within the state." The water temperatures are too low here for non-native oysters to spawn on their own. Locally, Drake's Bay Oyster Company uses an advanced hatchery technique to hand spawn on site. Unfortunately, our local oysters are not self-sustainable and require our intervention. Once the oysters are at a certain stage of their growth, they are quite happy in our waters.

Although not 'native', I still consider these 'local' because once the babies are in our waters, an adult oyster can filter up to 60 gallons of water a day while gathering its food, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Oysters are very much a product of the terroir they live in. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation site also gives some reasons why oysters are our ecological friends.

So did I find 'local' oysters to eat? Yes! After all those mental musings, one evening I was still thinking about the problem of finding some to eat, but gave up it up for going to a nearby restaurant for dinner, leaving the rest of the journey for another day. And what should appear on the fresh sheet at Saylor's Restaurant & Bar in Sausalito, not more that a couple blocks from my workplace? Drake's Bay Oysters, sauteed in a lemon, garlic, shallot and cream sauce. Wow, these tiny babies are good! I personally prefer this dish over the more popularized barbecue version. In fact, I had these at Saylor's again this evening before finalizing this post just to be sure that you could get some if you drop by this week!